Americas has been con'd by 545 people !!!

NoMoreDems-Reps · 09-02-08, 01:21 PM

Before you vote or support another REP or DEMS Please read this, and
remember you live in "AMERICA" not "DEMOCRATICA" or "REPUBLICA" !!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress.

In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority.

They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing.

I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.

No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget.

He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House?

She is the leader of the majority party.

She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve an y budget they want.

If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ, it’s because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like ‘the economy,’ ‘inflation’ or ‘politics’ that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper

peter arthur martin 545 people, by Charlie Reese

jujuman13 · 09-02-08, 03:47 PM

An excellent post.
Do you not find it strange that so few people care to comment on this subject.
Could even lead you to suppose that people like / prefer the status quo?

Dragonfly · 09-02-08, 03:57 PM

Bravo.

The Republicratic domination of our government is depressing.

I have stated numerous time in numerous forums that the problems we face today are not solely due to one party or the other, but equally the faults of both parties.

We have a two-party system, so both parties are responsible.

Why people continue to vote for nothing but one or the other is beyond me.

Panther · 09-02-08, 04:03 PM

If people were informed about our currency, they'd flip their lid.

NoMoreDems-Reps · 09-02-08, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panther

If people were informed about our currency, they'd flip their lid.

Yes they would. That is the only good, I can see in having so many people as
numb and dumb as the American voters are.

Indy · 09-02-08, 06:58 PM

I'll drink to that.

Now if only blue collar workers and soccer moms would get on board with your ideas you may be able to get somewhere. The fact of the matter is that the majority of America likes the status quo because although they may not get what they deserve and sometimes what they need at least they know what to expect. A new system could just as easily provide even less for them than the system that they already have.

NoMoreDems-Reps · 09-03-08, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy

I'll drink to that.

Now if only blue collar workers and soccer moms would get on board with your ideas you may be able to get somewhere. The fact of the matter is that the majority of America likes the status quo because although they may not get what they deserve and sometimes what they need at least they know what to expect. A new system could just as easily provide even less for them than the system that they already have.

So they will be happy to die from stagnation?

Truth Detector · 09-03-08, 02:11 PM

What a ridiculous and absurd assertion. I guess the thread author forgot that the American people elected those 435 Congress people and 100 senators. The American people elected the President. Those elected officials then passed the laws and nominated the members to the Supreme Court.

The only thing more absurd that continues to come from those who claim they are politically more astute than everyone else is the notion that the anarchy they usually represent is somehow "better?"

It's almost as naive that these same people think that politics will change by electing people who don't have an "R" or a "D" next to your name.

Now this does not mean that I do not agree with many of the author's points.

Think First · 09-03-08, 02:44 PM

God, no more email chain-letters... Please...

From another forum, before I got banned a few days ago (called a mod 'shoddy'. Meh.):

Quote:

Being the son of a Certified Public Accountant, I have a somewhat advanced knowledge of tax codes and laws, and they actually aren't the problem. Neither is the IRS, it's just that the people don't know the tax laws, when they violate them, or when they can get deductions.

With the government, I agree with you, that too many poor choices have been made, but the problem is is that those people won't be voted off because there is probably no one else that is more competant to replace them.

Nevertheless, there are things that are beyond the control of the Congress, in a sense. For example, we, as Americans, or just people in general, tend to think that we can just shut something that we don't like off instantaneously, like an unpopular war, high gas prices, and a receding economy. The problem with that is that, quite frankly, it's just not that simple. The economy is cyclic, we have our ups and downs, its beyond the government's control, courtesy of being a free-market, although that is not to say that they can't influence it. It would be more like trying to alter the course of a river, no matter what happens, it still flows, but they can decide where and how it flows with a degree of control.

There is no simple solution to our problems, and the sad truth is that it won't happen over night. Hope, no matter how Audacious it is, will not magically fix everyone's problems. Inevitably, it's going to take a little effort from everyone, to spend, vote, and live more responsibly. That's the beauty of democracy, it's everyone's chance to change the world, for better or for worse.

Quote:

Precisely. The fiscal policies proposed by former President Ronald W. Reagan, which plunged American into its largest deficit until then, which we are still in now, the deteriorating situation in the Middle-East, which has been doing so since practically the begining of time, but more recently since the 1970s and 80s, the struggling economy, something regulated by Congress, inflation, by the Secretary of the Treasury, and numerous other problems, caused at different times, by different people, are ALL Bush's and McCain's fault.

Besides, anything else would be completely "un-American" because we would be blaming ourselves instead of just pointed the finger at our elected officials, whom we, despite reelecting and giving tons of power too, we now simply do not like, even for reasons beyond their control.

Quote:

1) All societies are ultimately controlled by elites.

2) Modern representative democracy is far from the ideal of direct democracy.

3) There isn't really any practical alternative.

4) Politicians behave the way the political system and society lead them to behave.

5) Politicians must pass an electoral test, so they must tell the public what they want to hear.

6) A different 545 people in the same system would behave similarly; agency of the individual only matters at key moments in history.

NoMoreDems-Reps · 09-03-08, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truth Detector

What a ridiculous and absurd assertion. I guess the thread author forgot that the American people elected those 435 Congress people and 100 senators. The American people elected the President. Those elected officials then passed the laws and nominated the members to the Supreme Court..

So the performance (Lack there of ) of our elected officials is not a reflection
of their abilities? The fact that we are in $9.3 Trillion dollars of debt or that
they are creating, passing , and enforcing laws that take away the
constitutional right of the America people, is some how not the fault of the
people in charge?

And you don't see how American Politics is setup to Greatly favor the DNC
and GOP parties while making it impossible for other parties to compete
fairly ?
i.e. you blame some one for making a bad choice, when they are given
two bad choices to pick from? For example in 1992 Ross Perrot got
19% of the Peoples votes and they got 0% representation !!!!!
You don't see how that not so subtle institutional corruption will make
common folk get back in line with the powers that be?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truth Detector

The only thing more absurd that continues to come from those who claim they are politically more astute than everyone else is the notion that the anarchy they usually represent is somehow "better?".

I have not heard of anybody advocating Anarchy in this thread. Why do you
bring that irrelevant issue in to this topic? Or do you not realize you are
going off on a tangent? Or do you think it is Anarchy to hold people
accountable for their actions??????

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truth Detector

It's almost as naive that these same people think that politics will change by electing people who don't have an "R" or a "D" next to your name..

Boys and Girls can you say "Circumstantial Ad Hominem"

Is all KNOW FOR A "FACT" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is that Politics Won't Change (or Hasn't Changed) while we have politicians
with a "R" or "D" in front of their Name !!!!

Ron Paul and Ralph Nader have proven that they are for the GODD OF
AMERICA and Not Corporate America , Lobbyists or the Status Quo!
You can not say that for the R's or D's !

And the other thing your short sightedness keeps from you is that once
Americans start voting out bad parties/ people and voting in better ones,
America will be on it's way to getting the "Best" America has to offer and
not the Lesser of the REP-DEM Evils.....

It's an evolutional process that we are missing out on by staying
stagnant with the "Corrupt" REP-DEM Monopoly !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truth Detector

Now this does not mean that I do not agree with many of the author's points.

Well it is refreshing to see that you are receptive to reason!